


The Druid's Shadow

by banjelerp



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Headcanon, Possibly Unrequited Love, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-22
Updated: 2015-10-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 13:10:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5049832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/banjelerp/pseuds/banjelerp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A guardian in the shadows, a dagger through the air, a pain in the neck... Vax'ildan was many things for Keyleth, whether she knew it or not.  When her first kiss was stolen by the human cleric Kashaw, Vax realized that Keyleth was more than many things for him, too.  Regardless if he was the same for her as she was for him, Vax has vowed to remain her protector even with his dying breath.  Until then, he shall remain within the druid's shadow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Druid's Shadow

**Author's Note:**

> These first few parts I wrote directly after the episodes they correspond with (though Chapters 1 & 2 were both written after their journey to Pyrah). I'm behind as far as the episodes are concerned, and I'm hoping to be able to throw more lore into it as we learn more about pre-stream events. I hope you all enjoy the little bits of fluff I've written, and I'll try to post somewhat regularly. ♥ #IsItThursdayYet? #IsItFridayYetMate?

Vox Machina had survived the trial by fire — literally — and had accepted the Fire Ashari tribe's offer of hospitality before making their way back to Vasselheim. While they were no longer in the plane of elemental fire, it was still blazingly warm within the caldera; most of the party members were still scorched from the battle against the druids. They each peeled off their outer layers of clothing and armor, save for Grog, and they took turns applying salves, casting healing spells, and bandaging wounds.

Keyleth had just secured the bandage she was applying to Grog's scorched forearms, and she gathered her supplies in her arms as she looked around to see if anyone else needed attention. She spotted Vax as he rested against a stone that sat snugly in the earth, his body bare from the waist up and his eyes closed. She carefully made her way towards him, his burns becoming more apparent to her in the dim light. He opened his eyes and watched her approach, his eyes darting between her face and the supplies in her arms.

"You don't need to waste supplies and energy on me," he said, his voice soft as he looked toward the center of the volcano. "You should be resting."

"I can rest once everyone has been cared for, and you're the only one who still needs tending." She knelt beside him and set down the cloth full of balms and bandages. "Besides, you took a fair bit of flame. You must be in some considerate pain."

If she hadn't been eyeing the injured areas on his skin, she'd have missed the quick, silent laugh at her words. There was no smile on his face, and he didn't struggle when she began applying the salve. Silence fell over the pair as she worked, and it gave her an opportunity to really see the story his body told.

Scars littered his chest, some shallow and faded while others were fresh, perhaps not more than a day or two old. The bruise from the boulder-tossing beasts on the trail was bold and sinister on his side, and she was especially gentle as she spread a healing ointment over the area.

"You never once complained," she mumbled before moving on to care for the burns on his arms. "First the ettins and then the elemental fight... I didn't realize."

"I've fared worse, and honestly, there was nothing to complain about." He kept his eyes on the center of the caldera, watching as the magma churned and boiled. She hadn't noticed it until now, but every time a bubble burst at the surface, Vax would tense just for an instant before relaxing again. "Any pain I endured was for a worthy cause."

She thought to the moment they had traversed from one plane to the other, and she remembered how Vax had been the first to appear in the hellish realm with her. Even before they had begun the trial, Vax had been the first to kneel beside her, and he had reminded everyone that she still had yet to visit the Fire Ashari. There had been so many times where the half-elven rogue had looked out for her, had shown her concern, had put her needs ahead of anyone else's, save his sister. Whenever she looked back on her memories, whenever she returned to her vision that seemed so long ago, Vax was always there on the edge of the shadows.

Was this what it was like to have a guardian?

Keyleth shook her head slightly, coming back to the present, and realized that she had paused in her ministrations with her hands still upon his forearm. He looked at her curiously, but again, she shook her head.

"I am beyond grateful, Vax." She now grabbed the roll of bandages and gently pressed the end against his abdomen before rolling it around to his back. She nodded to the end she held and tilted her head slightly. "Sorry, could you hold this here?"

When he reached to replace her hand, his fingers brushed hers, and she felt a subtle spark travel through her at the contact. She stifled the small gasp that threatened to escape as she reached behind him to grab hold of the roll. It was only for a brief moment, but when she leaned forward, she could swear she felt the heat from his body; her heart beat harder and she gladly leaned back, bringing the roll around and over the end he currently held in place. He slipped his fingers out from beneath the cotton, and she resumed wrapping him up, trying in vain to ignore how her heart raced at the constant close proximity.

She could feel his eyes on her as she worked, and her relief was almost palpable as she tied off the cotton at his ribs and moved to his arm. Soon she felt another pair of eyes boring into her back, and Vax turned his gaze back to the roiling molten rock. He tensed again, a slight twitch of his fingers, and it finally hit her as to why he reacted as he did: he still hadn't forgotten his last encounter with liquid rock that had nearly cost him his foot.

He was the first to follow her into the portal, despite that he must have been at least a little frightened. That he faced something which obviously brought him unpleasant memories spoke volumes more to her than it had previously. He risked life and limb, again, for her own personal quest, for something of which there was no guarantee for survival or at least to return relatively unscathed.

At this, she looked into his face, his features covered with soot and ash, and she squeezed his hand tightly within her own. He returned his gaze to her, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Vax,  _thank_  you."

* * *

It was difficult enough having Keyleth so close and with her hands upon his body, despite that she was simply administering healing. Now she gazed at him with sympathy and gratitude, staring deeply into his eyes to convey her feelings to him. He swallowed hard, averting his gaze as he squeezed her hand in return. "It was nothing."

Keyleth's lips curved upward as she lifted a brow. "Vax..."

"Are you keeping this poor girl awake, dear brother?" Vex strode up behind Keyleth, Trinket following in her footsteps while his mistress stood with her hands upon her hips and smirking down at her brother.

"Not at all," Keyleth said as she resumed wrapping his opposite arm. "I was just finishing up here before I retired for the evening."

"I see." Vex looked at Vax with a lifted brow and crossed her arms. "I hadn't realized that you still require someone to take care of you, Vax."

Vax shrugged, regretting the motion as his side protested, though he managed to keep himself from wincing. "Well, I had tried to dissuade her but—"

"I insisted," Keyleth said with a hint of heat. Vax was surprised that the two women seemed to be developing an air of irritation with each other, but the memory of the group's reunion in Vasselheim surfaced to remind him of how Vex had reacted when she learned of the ruse they'd concocted on their mission. He was still perplexed as to why Vex was  _so_ put off by their falsely being married, but he supposed it came with the territory of being her twin.

Nothing was ever simple with Vex.

The ranger was quiet for a moment before she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "That was kind of you. I'm sure my brother is pleased to have someone looking out for him." Vex may have been able to hide it from Keyleth, but Vax picked up on the subtle emphasis on "my brother". While this was only natural for the twins to have each other's backs, this was a time when his sister's watchful eye was not needed.

Or welcomed, for that matter.

As Keyleth was finishing the final wrap on his arm, Vax looked to Vex and smiled sweetly. "Speaking of looking out for me, if you don't get some rest yourself, sis, you won't be able to watch my back tomorrow. I'm in good hands, don't worry."

Vex stared hard at her brother before she sniffed and turned away. "True enough. Wake me up for second watch. This place is unsettling to me." With that, Vex returned to her bedroll, Trinket again following her and laying his lumbering form beside her, effectively blocking her from Vax's view.

_Gods, I love that bear._

"There, all finished." Keyleth secured the wrap and moved to gather her supplies once again when Vax reached out to gently grasp her wrist.

"Keyleth," he mumbled, waiting for her to return her eyes to him. As he met the golden-green hue, he felt his heart speed up, and his tongue was momentarily tied. "I just... Thank you."

"To quote yourself, 'it was nothing.'" She smiled kindly at him before standing and slipping from his grasp. "Sleep well, Vax'ildan."

The formal way she spoke his name threw him off, but he had enough wits about him to reply, "And you, princess."

He watched her walk away, her hair billowing softly as the heat and wind swirled around her. She seemed confident tonight, more so than she had the last few nights. Perhaps it was a good thing that he had gently pressed the issue of her AraMente upon the group. Her worrisome expression when he'd first broached the subject back in Vasselheim made him second-guess the suggestion, and he almost rescinded it entirely had she not agreed to it.

In truth, he  _really_  wished to leave the gods-forsaken city in an attempt to remove any possibility of running into a certain cleric of Vesh. While Vax knew that he held no claim of any sort over the Ashari druid, it still made his skin crawl to know that such a man held such sway over Keyleth's heart. He was  _married_ , for gods' sakes. Showing his affection for Keyleth in the manner he had was practically a death sentence for the druid; Kashaw may as well have painted a giant glowing target on her back for his wife to find and smite Keyleth.

He watched her from his peripheral vision as Keyleth laid down in her bedroll, closing her eyes and rolling on her side to face him. As she lay there seemingly slipping into slumber, he made a silent vow that even with his dying breath, he would protect her from the fate Kashaw had so carelessly laid upon her.

Vex would certainly not be pleased if she ever found out...but hopefully she never would.

A particularly large bubble of magma burst and he unconsciously twitched, closing his eyes as his body let its displeasure with the movement be known. He allowed a soft groan to slip past his lips, the first sound of pain to be uttered outside of battle during their entire journey to the tribal settlement.

As he waited for the pain to subside, not daring to take anything more than shallow breaths, his mind drifted to not twenty minutes earlier. Keyleth's soft hands applying ointment to his skin brought him a sense of comfort, and when she wrapped his body, he could easily recall the scent of her hair, clean and light like the air she so easily controlled.   When they had brushed fingers for the quickest of moments, an energy he had experienced before traveled through him, and his breath had nearly been stolen away. Damn him, he knew that that feeling was going to be a problem for him in the future. It wasn't the first time she had elicited such a response; he had been doubly surprised when she had reached for his hand and grasped it firmly at the Velvet Cabaret. He remembered how she had reacted when he asked her if she  _wanted_  to be his wife. Internally, he was kicking himself for his wording, damning himself for letting such a thing slip so easily. She seemed thrown for a moment, and Vax had worried that things were taking a turn for the worse before she agreed to the arrangement easily enough.

Though it hadn't all ended in his favour by the time their trial had concluded.

Finally, his pain had receded and he took slower, deeper breaths. He opened his eyes to see Keyleth kneeling before him, staring patiently at his face. He jerked back, a spasm of pain passing through his body once again. He pressed his lips together to stifle the groan that threatened to escape and held his breath as Keyleth continued to stare, her brow beginning to drop lower.

She placed a hand upon his still-bare skin, and he felt a cooling sensation spread through his chest as Keyleth's healing energy entered his body. Her voice was soft but almost scolding as she said,  "You should have told me. I would have cast a cure spell on you earlier if you'd just said something."

He closed his eyes, basking for a moment as the pain he felt began to dissipate. He looked at her again, pleased that she was no longer staring at his face as she focused on her magic. "I didn't want bother you—"

"It's not a bother, Vax, so stop thinking it is." Her voice was still quiet, but there was a hard edge to it this time as her lips curved downward. "You're important to-to the group, your life isn't worth less than anyone else's."

"Keyleth."

"Just...just don't hide this kind of stuff. You've never been shy about calling for healing before. I—We don't need you throwing your life away, especially not for something like my AraMente." The magic pulled back and retreated from his body, and her eyes closed as she withdrew her magic. When she opened them again, she stared at the place where her hand remained on his abdomen, and Vax was compelled to hold it against himself. He wrapped his fingers around her slender hand, his eyes ever watching her face as she looked up.

He couldn’t promise her that he wouldn’t do what he could to protect her, but he could give her something.  “I’ll be sure to let you know whenever I need healing…if it will put you at ease.”

With his half-elven eyes, he could see her cheeks darken slightly as she looked away again and gently withdrew her hand.  “I should...probably return to my bedroll. I imagine we have a long way to go tomorrow.”

Vax’s chest contracted with another silent chuckle as he nodded.  “I imagine so.  Get some rest, Keyleth.”  He watched her once again as she walked away and laid down, this time with her back to him, and for the first time that day, he took a deep breath free of pain.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this little drabble. I'll likely be posting more soon in the next week, depending on how much time I've got between all of the things I have going on every week. ♥


End file.
